Mickey Keating Talks Darling and More!
Staci Layne Wilson
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Mickey Keating’s Darling (review) took the film festival world by storm, and it is now released on streaming platforms for rental. In the story, which Keating wrote as well as directed, a lonely young woman named Darling (Lauren Ashley Carter) spirals into madness when she becomes the caretaker of a mysterious New York mansion that has a troubled past.
We had the opportunity to sit down with Mickey to get the deets on Darling, and here’s what he had to say.
Dread Central: Darling has been the “darling” of the film festivals… can you tell us a little bit about what that kind of validation of your work means?
MK: Thank you! It’s been a trip, and I’m very excited to see it out in the world. I’m just honored to have premiered at Fantastic Fest and happy I got to tour with it from there. I saw somebody posted a picture of Darling next to one of Ana Karina in Alphaville. I’m glad somebody got that!
DC: Sean Young is a legend. How’d she get cast and what made her right for the role of the homeowner?
MK: Sean Young is a movie star in every single way. Larry Fessenden introduced me to her, and from that moment on, I knew there was nobody else who could play that role. There was a moment before we shot where we thought she wouldn’t be able to do it and I was very disappointed, but fortunately we found a way to make it happen. She brought all her own fur coats and jewelry to the shoot. They cost more than that house I bet. I’m still starstruck.
DC: Your lead, Lauren, is fantastic. Please fill us in on your background together and what she brought to the role of Darling that maybe wasn’t in the script.
MK: Lauren was Darling from the very beginning. It was fantastic to be able to write the role for her because we had worked together on my previous film, and so we got to try something totally different. I like writing with actors in mind because then the movie sculpts itself to them. I wrote the role of her poor victim for Brian too. Lauren became Darling and we got to watch. There are shots we created just because it was thrilling to watch the character live in the space. She even found the dress!
DC: Did you have any push-back from producers or investors about doing Darling in black and white? It’s not very popular. Tell us about your rationale behind this and why you felt it was necessary.
MK: Everybody involved was super supportive. I had worked with a lot of the same people from my previous films and so there was a level of trust. Black and white didn’t feel like a risk at all – it was part of the film’s DNA from the very beginning. There wasn’t a world where there was going be a color version of Darling. We’re far enough along technologically that audiences can recognize it as a clear aesthetic choice. I hope we see a lot more films in monochrome.
DC: We have to ask about Psychopaths… what’s the scoop? We know you’re filming now, but even at this early stage, what can you tell us about what horror fans can look forward to?
MK: We just wrapped and are diving into the edit. This time I wanted to make something more feverish and glamorous like De Palma’s Dressed to Kill and Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, or even like Bringing Out the Dead. Lots of larger than life characters and all the actors really brought it. I’m very proud of all involved and can’t wait to start showing people some stuff!
Darling stars Lauren Ashley Carter, Sean Young, Brian Morvant, Larry Fessenden, John Speredakos, and Helen Rogers.
Synopsis:
Darling follows a lonely young woman who moves into an old, mysterious Manhattan mansion. Hired as caretaker, it’s not long before she discovers the estate’s haunted reputation and troubling past—stories that slowly transform into a backdrop for her twisted and violent descent into madness.
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